Grading Plans in Texas
Grading Plans in Texas
(OP)
Hi All,
I'm a SW Florida-trained engineer doing my first job in Texas, which is a small bank site. Where I work in Florida, it is so flat that we never use contour grading, just spot elevations. I need your expertise on babying me through the proper way to produce a grading plan using contours. How does one going about starting, setting building floor elevation, rules of thumb, etc? Rock factor?
In FL, storm event stages govern floor elevations, etc. and that isn't the case most other places.
Thanks for your help.
I'm a SW Florida-trained engineer doing my first job in Texas, which is a small bank site. Where I work in Florida, it is so flat that we never use contour grading, just spot elevations. I need your expertise on babying me through the proper way to produce a grading plan using contours. How does one going about starting, setting building floor elevation, rules of thumb, etc? Rock factor?
In FL, storm event stages govern floor elevations, etc. and that isn't the case most other places.
Thanks for your help.





RE: Grading Plans in Texas
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
In doing all of this you will be creating spot elevations along the way. Once you've got the spot elevations, you then can create the contours.
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
Mike McCann
MMC Engineering
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
Of course I did. My question is related to plan production, and the path of least resistance in producing a contour grading plan.
bank,
Where is it written that FF needs to be 1 foot above the things you mention?
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
I think the main point is start from your drainage outfall and work up to your finished floor, alot of times on an infill type project, the outfall will be the acess drive.
In Dallas your finished floor has to be 1' above the rim of the downstream sanitary manhole from your connect (in case it gets blocked up) I don't know of other juristictions that require that.
If part of the building footprint happened to be located in a 100 year floodplain, you would have to set your finished floor above that, minimum 1' but 18" I think is more common.
Then beware of the ADA issues, called 'TAS' in Texas. (Texas Accessibilty Standards). Buildings have to go through TDLR review by a TAS specialist..confusing I know.
Anyway that will govern your slopes for HC parking and route to/from building and to/from public sidewalk.
GL
RE: Grading Plans in Texas
The flood plain requirements are laid out in the City of Houston Code of Ordinances. The other two items (crown of street and sanitary sewer manhole rim elevations) are probably building code requirements, but I couldn't tell you where to find them. Looks like they've got some of the same requirements in Dallas.